Ratio of direct campaign contributions from business interests compared to contributions from other groups in state supreme court races from 2000 to 2009: about 50-50

Percent of paid TV advertising in those races that came from business groups, which have dominated independent expenditures: 90

According to a study of the relationship between contributions to state supreme court candidates and the votes cast on the court, portion of the time that a justice who receives half of his or her contributions from business groups votes in favor of business interests: almost 2/3

In 10 high-profile state supreme court elections in 2012 and 2013 where outside spending was a factor, amount spent by independent groups: $11.7 million

Portion of that money which originated from outside the election state: at least 1/3

Number of states where out-of-state money likely helped decide the outcome of judicial races: 3*

Percent of the outside money spent in those races that could be traced to the battle between trial lawyers and business interests: 75

Amount the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the leading U.S. business lobby, spent in 2000 trying to influence state supreme court elections in Mississippi, which had a reputation as one of the nation's most plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions: $1 million

Year in which the U.S. Chamber issued what the Wall Street Journal dubbed a "call to arms" to Mississippi voters, referring to the state as a lawsuit "Mecca": 2002

Amount of outside expenditures made in Mississippi's latest Supreme Court race, with most of that going to the winning candidate: $638,077

Amount of that total which came from the D.C.-based American Tort Reform Association, which wants to make it harder for plaintiffs to recover damages in court: more than $350,000

Amount that came from the Virginia-based Law Enforcement Alliance of America, which was founded with support from the National Rifle Association, and which some observers believe has been getting money from the U.S. Chamber: at least $188,000

Percent of the vote won by the Mississippi candidate who benefited most from outside expenditures, even though his opponent raised more in campaign contributions: 58

Amount that independent groups spent to influence North Carolina's supreme court race last year: at least $2.59 million

Percent of that money which came from groups outside the state: over 50

Percent which came from super PACs supporting conservative incumbent Paul Newby: about 88

Despite trailing in the polls during the campaign, percent of the vote Newby ended up winning following a last-minute attack ad against challenger Sam Ervin that one newspaper described as sleazy: 51.9

Amount of money that a group called Justice for All NC spent to help Newby retain his seat: $1.7 million

Percent of Justice for All's money that came from the Washington, D.C.-based Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), a group that in 2010 led an effort to elect GOP state legislators in advance of redistricting, which faced challenges in state courts including North Carolina's: 68

Rank of the U.S. Chamber's Institute for Legal Reform among the biggest donors to the RSLC in 2012: 1

Amount that the North Carolina chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a Virginia-based group tied to billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch, spent on mailers supporting Newby that were sent shortly before the election: $225,000

Date on which a North Carolina legislator took action to end the state's public judicial financing program at the urging of state budget director Art Pope, a businessman and conservative mega-donor tied to a number of groups that spent heavily to support Newby: 6/12/2013

Support

Share this article

Related Posts

Independent political groups unaffiliated with campaigns spent more than $10 million in North Carolina's 2014 state-level elections, nearly tripling the amount spent on legislative races two years earlier. While Republicans enjoyed a slight edge in support, Democrats are catching up.

Since he was first elected to the North Carolina legislature in 2010, Rep. Mike Hager (R-Rutherford) has become a leading advocate for oil and gas drilling in the state. He's also become a leading beneficiary of campaign contributions from the industry, which could begin fracking operations in the state this year.

With a fight underway in Congress over protecting more U.S. waterways from industrial pollution, Environment America has issued a report looking at the millions of dollars spent on politics each year by polluters. Besides the Kansas-based oil and chemical giant, other big-spending polluters include Southern meat processors and an energy company.

The Atlanta-based utility giant is in the news for funding a controversial researcher whose work has been used to cast doubt on the overwhelming scientific consensus that human activity is driving global warming. It isn't the first time the company has been involved in promoting questionable climate science.